In the Middle: Career Pathways of Midlevel Community College Leaders

Abstract

The leadership crisis in community colleges has led to speculation on who will lead these colleges in the future and how best to prepare leaders for these positions. Traditionally, little research occurred regarding midlevel administrators despite the fact that the majority of presidents come from within the ranks. The findings from this research show that midlevel administrators have little desire to move into top-level positions. Colleges need to consider how to make leadership more attractive and begin developing leaders for future openings.Community colleges are experiencing an unprecedented turnover in administration, particularly at the senior levels (Katsinas & Kempner, 2005;Shults, 2001). The crisis in community college leadership is heightened by the pending retirement of upwards of 70% of community college presidents within the next 10 years (Schults, 2001). Indeed, over 45% of sitting presidents are 61 or older (American Council on Education [ACE], 2007), demanding increased attention to the career pathways within community colleges. This changing of the guard provides a prime opportunity for more women to move into senior ranks.Career opportunities within higher education have expanded over time for women, though they still comprise a disproportionately

Educational Considerations, Vol. 43(3), Summer 2016 Full Issue

“…94). Although professional development is needed, similar to community college midlevel leadership pathways, such training rarely exists (Garza and Eddy, 2008). Only 8% of survey respondents said that they received job-directed training and that training came as a result of participation in NAFSA international student workshops.…”

“…4% of our survey respondents were faculty working in release-time positions. Pipeline movement is not always planned and often begins with what is referred to as "accidental" leaders who are individuals who do not intentionally seek leadership roles (Garza and Eddy, 2008). Most survey respondents were recruited for their position by senior administrators based on their pre-existing "interest" in internationalization and were indeed "accidental leaders."…”

Preparing Community College Leaders to Meet Tomorrow's Challenges

“…Professional development should focus on providing individuals responsibilities that are a challenging stretch to push their learning about leadership (Day et al, 2014). These opportunities may include work on task forces or committees (Garza Mitchell & Eddy, 2008;Price, 2012). Borrowing practices from business include strategies for developing new talent that use a variety of development techniques and advocating for casting a wide net of participants to tap for development programs (Fulmer, Stumpf, & Bleak, 2009).…”

Understanding the impact of informal mentoring on female mid-level community college administrators : an interpretive phenomenological analysis

“…Community colleges face unprecedented vacancies in senior management positions and as a result, a large gap exists of qualified administrators prepared to take on leadership responsibilities (Luna, 2012;Luzbetak, 2010;Robison et al, 2010;Strom et al, 2011). Almost half of all presidents at community colleges plan to retire within the next decade and these vacancies will leave a vast depletion in the shared collective memory and understanding of leadership in community colleges (Garza, Mitchell, & Eddy, 2008;Strom et al, 2011;VanDerLinden, 2005). Despite this potentially alarming situation, many qualified administrators already work within the community college system and have the potential to be promoted to senior management positions (Luna, 2012;Strom et al, 2011).…”

“…Community colleges often promote from within the ranks of their own bureaucratic systems (Garza Mitchell & Eddy, 2008), with a large majority of the senior leadership roles being offered to administrators who currently work in these institutions.…”